Rain, Rain, Go Away!

We departed our beautiful Welsh barn early, and hit the road as the rain sprinkled.

Our simple plan was to run south, through the Brecon Beacons National Park, down to Cardiff, and then onward.  But the rain and low clouds made our going difficult.

We saw the mountains themselves, where the British army train their Special Forces, but the wind and rain made it difficult to take photos.  At one stop, my hat blew off, and I was forced to run after it, wondering if my camera was getting more of a soaking than might be good for it!  (Thank goodness for the scarf of the "Loud MacLeod" that I'd bought as a souvenir at Dunvegan!)

Parking was difficult in Cardiff, and with the rain, I didn't want to wander about too much in the town, so I never managed to see the secret entrance to the Torchwood Institute.  Pity, because I find Gwen Cooper super sexy...

So it was off out of Wales, across the Severn Estuary

and down through Bristol, to Cheddar.

We had a nice lunch there, but they wanted £22 and change for a tour of the caves and so forth, so we bought some cheese, and departed through the gorge.  

My lasting impression of Cheddar is that it was a huge tourist trap, and it was packed with it's prey, amongst which we too, were numbered.

So, we pointed ourselves at the house of my cousin and his fair wife, who had offered to put us up for a couple of nights.  And on the way, why not stop off for a quick visit at Glastonbury Tor?

I'll tell you why not:  The place is organized by the Kilburn Tourist Board.  We circled the tor, which is surrounded by single-lane roads, and there was nowhere to park the car.  The few places where a car might have parked at the side of the road were deliberately blocked by large boulders.

The rain had stopped by then, but the grass was still wet.  Never the less, we were early, not having spent as much time in Cardiff as expected.  So, I might have climbed the tor and taken in the view from the top.  But I wasn't prepared to park three miles away and have to walk to and from the tor, as well as up and down.  So we took photos of the 14th century tower from a distance, and said farewell.

Coming early to my cousin's house, where we were given a prodigal welcome

We were wined and dined (well, Derek had beer)

in a fine fashion, and enjoyed plenty of conversation as well.  There was a lovely garden, 

and across a short, green field, a Museum Railway, where a restored vintage steam engine, periodically went chuffing past, pulling several carriages full of enthusiasts.  It was just the perfect distance, close enough where it could be enjoyed, but far away that no noise came to disturb.

Perhaps, tomorrow, I can get a photo of the train as it goes past. But now, after late chit-chat, it's time for bed!